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The Green Bank Telescope and the National Radio Quiet Zone

-- | December 20, 2014

Question: How does the Green Bank telescope work? Is it really important for the Green Bank Telescope to be located in the national radio quiet zone for his operation? Why?
Which are the most important discoveries through this telescope? — Antonio

Answer: As the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) is a fully-steerable radio telescope it functions just like other radio telescopes. You can find a nice description of how a radio telescope works at the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF) “How Does a Radio Telescope Work” site. The National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ) was established in 1958 to minimize possible harmful interference to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Green Bank, WV and the radio receiving facilities for the United States Navy in Sugar Grove, WV. Because the NRAO GBT conducts astronomical measurements at frequencies which are also used by various communications systems which can potentially interfere with the GBT’s astronomical observations, the NRQZ protects the GBT from these other communications systems by restricting their use within the NRQZ. For a list of recent discoveries made by the GBT see NRAO’s GBT discoveries page for more information.

Jeff Mangum

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the U.S. National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
	Founded in 1956, the NRAO provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. NRAO telescopes are open to all astronomers regardless of institutional or national affiliation. Observing time on NRAO telescopes is available on a competitive basis to qualified scientists after evaluation of research proposals on the basis of scientific merit, the capability of the instruments to do the work, and the availability of the telescope during the requested time. NRAO also provides both formal and informal programs in education and public outreach for teachers, students, the general public, and the media.
	The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..."
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